dis a former Israeli professional soccer player and survivor of the attack. from Hamas On October 7, Ben Binyamin has started a new career as a para-athlete. The former player of third division club SC Kiryat Yam was seriously injured during the massacre at the Nova music festival in Israel, in which a total of 364 participants were killed and another 40 were taken hostage to Gaza. Armed Palestinian militants had thrown several hand grenades into the shelter where Binyamin had fled earlier. The 29-year-old survived the attack, but lost his right leg as a result of his injuries.
After extensive rehabilitation, he returned as a defenseman with Israel's national amputee team. “I never thought he would play football again,” Binyamin told Israeli media. “I was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to walk anymore, let alone run.”
Paralympic sports offer him a new perspective: in May, a few months after his injury, Binyamin will participate with the Israeli team in the European Amputee Football Championship.
Attempts at rapprochement between Israelis and Palestinians with the help of football However, according to his own statements, the para-athlete no longer believes it to be realistic: “Before October 7 I thought there could be peace and I have many Arab friends, even from Jenin (city in Israel, editor),” he said. However , no longer has hope of getting better after his experiences during the Hamas attack in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed. On the Palestinian side, more than 32,800 people were killed in subsequent Israeli attacks on Gaza.